Dictionary:

nuthatch

  (nŭt'hăch')

Any of several small, short-tailed birds of the family Sittidae, having a long sharp bill and known for climbing down trees headfirst. Also called nutcracker.

[Middle English notehache : note, nut; see nut + hache, hatchet (from Old French, perhaps of Germanic origin, from its habit of wedging nuts in bark and hacking them open).]

Sitta europaea

SUBFAMILY

Sittinae

TAXONOMY

Sitta europaea Linnaeus, 1758. Twenty-five subspecies.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Eurasian nuthatch, wood nuthatch; French: Sittelle torchepot; German: Kleiber; Spanish: Trepador Azul.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

5.5 in (14 cm), with a short tail. The back is colored blue-gray, the crown blue-gray, undersides brown to white, throat white, and with a black line through the eye. However, coloration varies considerably among the approximately 25 geographic subspecies of this wide-ranging species.

DISTRIBUTION

Occurs widely in temperate Eurasia, from the Atlantic to Pacific coasts.

HABITAT

Occurs in a wide range of mature temperate forests, ranging from deciduous- to conifer-dominated types.

BEHAVIOR

Occurs as pairs that defend a breeding territory. Does not migrate. Occurs in mixed-species flocks with tits (or chickadees) in the nonbreeding season. The song is a varied series of loud calls.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Gleans invertebrates from tree bark and foliage, especially on branches. Also eats fruits and seeds in winter.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Pairs nest in a tree cavity. The female incubates the eggs but both sexes feed the young.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened. A widespread and abundant species.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.

(click to enlarge)
European nuthatch (Sitta europaea) (credit: Bruce Coleman Ltd.)

Any of about 22 species (genus Sitta, family Sittidae) of songbirds that are 4 – 7.5 in. (9.5 – 19 cm) long and have a short, square tail, short neck, and thin, pointed bill. Most are forest dwellers; some live in rocky areas. Nuthatches search tree trunks and rocks for insects, often descending headfirst. They also eat seeds, which they may store for winter. The nest is a grass- or hair-lined cavity. Nuthatches are most common from Eurasia to Japan and southward; four species occur in North America. Most are bluish above and white or reddish below; there may be a black eye stripe or a cap.

For more information on nuthatch, visit Britannica.com.

Nuthatches
Male Eurasian Nuthatch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Sittidae Lesson, 1828 Genus: Sitta Linnaeus, 1758
Species
22 species, see text

The nuthatches are a family, Sittidae, of generally very similar small passerine birds found throughout the Northern hemisphere.

The nuthatch family, Sittidae, traditionally contained 23 species. The subfamily Sittinae held the 22 species of “true” nuthatches, and the subfamily Tichodromadinae held a single species, the unique Wallcreeper, Tichodroma muraria, which is now separated in its own family, Tichodromadidae.

Most nuthatches are woodland birds, although a few species have adapted to rocky habitats. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike species such as woodpeckers which can only go upwards.

Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet. Their shape is distinctive, and all species are recognizable as nuthatches if one has been seen.

They are generally omnivorous, eating mostly insects, nuts and seeds. Most are resident, but the Red-breasted Nuthatch migrates from the north of its range.

Nests are in holes or crevices. In some species the size of the hole is reduced by the building of a mud wall. The Eurasian Nuthatch includes in its song repertoire a single high pitched note that it repeats often from a high vantage point.

This group gets its name from the habit of the Eurasian Nuthatch of wedging a nut in a crevice in a tree, and then hacking at it with its strong bill.

The list of species below, all in the genus Sitta (Linnaeus, 1758), is probably the maximum. Some taxonomists consider that some of the indicated species are in fact conspecific.

Family: Sittidae

• Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea
• Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Sitta nagaensis
• Kashmir Nuthatch, Sitta cashmirensis
• Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Sitta castanea
• White-tailed Nuthatch, Sitta himalayensis
• White-browed Nuthatch, Sitta victoriae
• Pygmy Nuthatch, Sitta pygmaea
• Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla
• Corsican Nuthatch, Sitta whiteheadi
• Algerian Nuthatch, Sitta ledanti
• Krüper's Nuthatch, Sitta krueperi
• Chinese Nuthatch, Sitta villosa
• Yunnan Nuthatch, Sitta yunnanensis
• Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis
• White-cheeked Nuthatch, Sitta leucopsis
• White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
• Western Rock Nuthatch, Sitta neumayer
• Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Sitta tephronota
• Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Sitta frontalis
• Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Sitta solangiae
• Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Sitta oenochlamys
• Blue Nuthatch, Sitta azurea
• Giant Nuthatch, Sitta magna
• Beautiful Nuthatch, Sitta formosa

References

• Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers, Harrap and Quinn, ISBN 0-7136-3964-4
• The Nuthatches, Erik Matthysen, Academic Press 1998, ISBN 0-85661-101-8

External links

• Nuthatch videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• White breasted nuthatch photos
• Nuthatches Eavesdrop on Another Bird's Alarm Calls, LiveScience (19 March 2007)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - spætmejse

Nederlands (Dutch)
boomklever

Français (French)
n. - (Zool) sittelle

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kleiber, Spechtmeise

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ορνιθ.) σίττη, τσοπανάκος, σφυριχτής

Italiano (Italian)
picchio muratore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pica-pau-cinzento (m) (Ornit.)

Русский (Russian)
поползень

Español (Spanish)
n. - trepatroncos

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - nötväcka

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
五子雀

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 五子雀

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 동고비

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ゴジュウカラ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كاسر البندق : طائر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮דיבקן (ציפור)‬

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